This invention relates generally to agricultural machines having a rotatable pick-up reel for lifting crop from the ground into the machine, and, more particularly, to an improved device for connecting individual tine assemblies to rotating tine bars of the pick-up reel.
Pick-up reels used in agricultural machine comprise a plurality of parallel tine bars arranged in a cylindrical pattern which is rotated about a central axis. Individual tines are connected to the bars and extend generally outwardly to engage the crop material. The tine bars may be individually rotated dependent upon the reel rotational position vary the position of the tines relative to the reel rotational position, such as for folding the tines inwardly at a point in the rotation to release the crop material for feed into the machine. Tines are typically connected to the tine bars using a variety of bolts, clips, or cast mounts, all of which increase the total part count of the reel and hence, increase production costs. Moreover, replacement of tines mounted in such a manner is often made more difficult as connection fasteners are prone to rusting in place.
It would be advantageous to have an alternate tine and/or tine mounting apparatus that could be installed and removed from a reel by hand or using only simple tools (e.g., a hammer or a screwdriver), yet provide sufficient connection strength to withstand the loading typically applied to the pick-up tines during machine operation. Still more advantages would be realized by an alternate tine mounting that relied on corrosion-resistant parts to reduce the likelihood of tines rusting in place.